Look to the heavens, the answers are there. The stars depict knowledge that would not be passed on by word of mouth alone. Using a little imagination you should be able to see where the origins and foundations of our nation have come from. Symbology is every where you just have too open your mind and see what is there. Things are right in plain view.

Columba lies south of the Lepus the Hare, and on the meridian with Orion's Belt. Although first formally published by Royer in 1679, there is indications that this constellation was known in classical times. Sometimes this constellation is known as Columba Noae 'Noah's Dove'. A constellation of the southern hemisphere and a member of the "Heavenly Waters" constellation family. Columba is thought to be the dove following along after Noah's Ark.

At the end of forty days, after the flood, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out the raven to see if it could find dry land; and it went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; but the dove found no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark with him. He waited another seven days and again he sent out the dove from the ark; and the dove came back to him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf; so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. Then he waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to him any more. (Genesis 8:6-12).

The Constellation of Columba:

In ancient Greek myth it was a bird of Athena which represented the renewal of life. In the Bible it was a dove released from the by Noah which returned with an olive branch to show that the Biblical flood was over.  Ever since, the dove has symbolized deliverance and God's forgiveness. According to legend the devil and witches can turn themselves into any bird shape except the dove.  In ancient the dove was sacred to Hackiman the god of war, but it was a dove with a sword that announced the end to war.

The bird represents the wayfarer of the sky, and at the same time, it represents a being who though it belongs to the earth is capable of dwelling in the skies. The former explanation of the bird represents the idea of a soul, whose dwelling place is heaven, and the latter represents the dweller on earth, being able to move about in the higher spheres. Both these explanations give the idea that the spiritual man, dwelling on the earth, is from heaven. They also explain that the spiritual man is the inhabitant of the heavens and is only dwelling on the earth for a while. The pigeon is used as a messenger, to carry a message from one place to another, and therefore, the symbol of the dove is a natural one to represent the messenger from above. Spiritual bliss is such a wonderful experience, that if a bird or animal were to have it, it would never return to its own kind. But it is to man's credit that after touching that point of great happiness and bliss he comes back into the world of sorrows and disappointments and delivers his message. This quality can also be seen in the pigeon: when the pigeon is sent it goes, but it faithfully comes back to its master. The spiritual man performs this duty doubly: he reaches higher than the human plane, touches the divine plane, and brings the message from the divine to the human plane. In this way, instead of remaining on the divine plane, he returns to be among his fellow men for their welfare, which is no small sacrifice. Besides, he performs a duty to God, from whom he brings the message which he delivers to humanity. He lives as a human being, subject to love, hate, praise, and blame. He passes his life in the world of attachment and the life that binds him with a thousand ties on all sides. Yet he does not forget the place whence he has come and he constantly and eagerly looks forward to reaching the goal for which he is bound. Therefore, in both these journeys, from earth to heaven and from heaven to earth, the idea of the dove proves to be the most appropriate of all.

Dove used as a Symbol of Peace

The “dove” is also a symbol used by the Illuminati used in their rituals. BUT the DOVE has been the symbol of the HOLY SPIRIT for THOUSANDS of years and still is a symbol of the Holy Spirit today! The Dove as a symbol for the Holy Spirit is thousands of years older than the few hundred years the Illuminati have existed. Many great beings of Light, including Beloved Ascended Master Saint Germaine, have included the Dove as the bringer of Light, good news, and peace in their messages. The symbol of the Dove in the service of Divine Love, Light, Peace, and Truth. A symbol of world peace bringing forth the Golden Age of peace, prosperity, higher wisdom, and love for all people on Earth.

Greek and Roman Allegories of the Dove:

A parallel Greek reference is the dove that guided the Argonauts (Argo Navis) between the Symplegades, the Symplegades, or Cyanean Rocks, were two rocks which had a habit of rushing violently against each other, crushing everything in between, they were sitiuated at the mouth of the where they crushed ships. Whenever the Symplegades saw a ship which had to pass between them, they waited until the vessel was in the middle and then came rushing together, breaking up the ship and killing everyone on board. Afterwards they would recede and leave a wide and seemingly safe space for the next victim. When the ship, Argo, approached the clashing rocks of Symplegades at the passage from the Aegean Sea to the , Jason, who had been forewarned of this danger, sent out a dove to see how it would fare as it flew between these dangerous rocks. The white dove, aided by Minerva, shot between the rocks with such speed that they crashed against each other without killing the bird, only depriving it of a few tail feathers. The success of the dove was seen as a propitious omen, so the ship Argo was rowed into the dangerous area at top speed. The rocks did clash together, and some of the oars were destroyed and there was a little damage to the stern, but the ship completed the passage without being crushed by the clashing rocks. Ever since, the rocks have stood still. Columba was placed in the sky by Minerva (Greek Athena) as a memento of the bird's daring deed.  The symbol of Minerva is an Owl, Venus is a Dove, The Latin word for owl, “bubo, bubonis” Columba is the Latin word for dove.  Tying Venus to Minerva interchangeably. 

Chilmead's treatise has this brief description of the stars in Columba; "of which there are two in the back of it of the second magnitude, which they call 'the Good messengers' or 'bringers of good news'; and those in the right wing are consecrated to the Appeased Deity; and those in the left, to 'the retiring of the waters in the time of the Deluge'. He is locates alpha-Phact and Beta, Wazn, in the back; in the right wing, and nu and epsilon in the left. In they were Sun, the Child; lamda being Tsze, a Son; and the nearby small stars, She, the Secretions. This is where the Dove was declared a national symbol of peace.

The constellation Columba (the dove) was chosen to symbolize peace on Earth and the Space Shuttle Columbia. The seven stars also represent the mission crew members and honor the original astronauts who paved the way to make research in space possible.  To Read more about Space Shuttle Columbia and the Odd parallels with the crew members and such that will go a different direction that I am headed here please check out this link.

St. Columba from Kells

Columba, who made Kells world-famous and without whom no-one outside of it would ever have heard of Kells, followed, as closely as he was able, from the information he had, the true teaching of Christ, as it had been brought to the British Isles by Jesus' own Disciples (the Culdees), who came with "the rich man" Joseph of Arimaetha and continued Jesus' work of founding and establishing the first christian community in the world, at Glastonbury, in Britain, as has been confirmed by numerous Vatican Councils. Another tie to Mary and John the Logos. They came to the British Isles, where Jesus had grown up; for safety, because it was the only place not under Roman domination, when they fled the Holy Land during the Roman persecution of "the Followers of the Way(Christ)" and Mary returned home to her native .

The Blessed Virgin Mary; like Columba, in his day; was a member of the English royal family of her day. Jesus had commanded his twelve disciples (including Peter) not to go into the way or cities of the Gentiles (including Rome which Peter never even visited) but to go to the lost sheep of the "House of Israel" - the  Ten "Lost" Tribes, which is another good reason why they came to the Brit-ish Isles. Brit means The Covenant in Hebrew and in Welsh and British Isles means the Islands of The Covenant People - the Israelite People.In 563 he traveled to Scotland with twelve companions, where according to his legend he first landed at the southern tip of the Kintyre  peninsula, near Southend. However, being still in sight of his native land he moved further north up the west coast of . In 563 he was granted land on the of Iona off the west coast of which became the centre of his evangelising mission to the Picts. Aside from the services he provided, he taught people how to read. His reputation as a holy man led to his role as a diplomat among the tribes; there are also many stories of miracles which he performed during his work to convert the Picts. He visited the pagan king Bridei, king of Fortriu, at his base in Inverness, winning the king's respect. He subsequently played a major role in the politics of the country. He was also very energetic in his Evangelical  work, and, in addition to founding several churches in the Hebrides, he worked to turn his monastery at into a school for missionaries. He was a renowned man of letters, having written several hymns transcribed to 300 books personally. One of the few, if not the only, time he left to found the Monastery at Durrow.  He died on and was buried in the abbey he created.Columba is credited as being a leading figure in the revitalization of monasticism, and his achievements illustrated the importance of the Celtic church in bringing a revival of Christianity to Western Europe.

Lasting legacy

Vita Columbae

The main source of information about Columba's life is the Vita Columbae by Adomnán, the ninth Abbot of , who died in 704. Both the Vita Columbae and Bede record Columba's visit to Bridei. Whereas Adomnán just tells us that Columba visited Bridei, Bede relates a later, perhaps Pictish tradition, whereby the saint actually converts the Pictish king. Another early source is a poem in praise of Columba, most probably also composed in the course of the 7th century. It consists of 25 stanzas of four verses of seven syllables each.

The earliest recorded example of the name Arthur in a British document occurs, as Arturius, in Adomnan's vita.There it occurs as the name of a prince among the Scots, the son of

Aedan Mac Gabrain, king of Dal Riata from AD 574, far from the legendary King Arthur's familiar haunts in the southwest. The vita of Columba is also the source of the first known reference to the Loch Ness Monster. According to Adomnan, Columba came across a group of Picts who were burying a man killed by the monster, and saved a swimmer with the sign of the cross and the imprecation "You will go no further", at which the beast fled terrified, to the amazement of the assembled Picts who glorified Columba's God. Whether or not this incident is true, Adomnan's text specifically states that the monster was swimming in the River Ness -- the river flowing through the loch -- rather than in Loch Ness itself. Through the reputation of its venerable founder and its position as a major European center of learning, Columba's became a place of pilgrimage. A network of Celtic high crosses marking processional routes developed around his shrine at Iona. Columba is historically revered as a warrior saint, and was often invoked for victory in battle. His relics were finally removed in 849. Relics of Columba were carried before Scottish armies in the reliquary made at in the mid-8th century, called the Brecbennoch. Legend has it that the Brecbennoch, was carried to Bannockburn by the vastly outnumbered Scot's army and the intercession to the Saint helped them to victory. It is widely thought that the Monymusk Reliquary is this object.

O Columba spes Scotorum... "O Columba, hope of the Scots" begins a 13th century prayer in the Antiiphoner of Inchcolm, the " of the East". St Columba's feast day is June 9 and with  Saint Patrick, March 17 and Saint Brigid on February 1st,  is one of the three patron saints of Ireland. Prior to the battle of Athelstaneford, he was the sole patron saint of . He is also venerated within the Orthodox faiths as a saint and  Righteous Father

.

The Abbey of Iona was described by the founder of the contemporary Iona Community as a "thin place" - a place where heaven and earth seemed to be separated only by the finest of tissue papers. Certainly, even before Christianity came to , it was recognised as a sacred place

.

The Abbey of Iona:
According to the testimony of Inman, the pyramid is an emblem of the Trinity--three in one. The triangle typifies the flame of sacred fire emerging from the holy lamp. With its base upwards it typifies the Delta, or the door through which all come into the world. With its apex uppermost, it is an emblem of the phallic triad. The union of these triangles typifies the male and female principles uniting with each other, thus producing a new figure, a star, while each retains its own identity. Thus the primary significance of the pyramid was religious, and in its peculiar architectural construction was manifested the prevailing conception of the Deity worshipped; namely, the fructifying energies in the sun. We are informed that "all nations have at one time or another passed through violent stages of pyrolatry, a word which reminds us that fire and phallic cult flourished around the pyramids. . . . Every town in had a Pyrtano.

The people who were dominant in long before the rise of the late Assyrian monarchy, are said to be those whom scriptural writers represent as Cushim, and the Hindoos as Cushas. They were the descendants of Cush, or Cuth, and were believed to have been the architects of the . Epiphanius, Eusebius, and others assert that at the time of the building of this tower there existed two rival beliefs, the one demonstrated as Scuthism, the other as Ionism, or Hellenism, the latter of which embodied the worship of the Great Mother, or the female element, which was worshipped in the shape of the mystic " or Dove." The Scuths, on the other hand, believed in the pre-eminence of a Great Father, or, perhaps I should say, in a Deity composed of a triad containing the elements of a male parent. Upon this subject the learned Faber remarks: "I am much mistaken if some dissension on these points did not prevail at itself; and I think there is reason for believing that the altercation between the rival sects aided the confusion of languages in producing the dispersion."

Those who believed in the superiority of the male in the processes of reproduction, adored the male element in the Deity, while those who held that the female is the more important, worshipped the female energy throughout Nature under one or another of its symbols, sometimes as a woman with her child and sometimes as a dove, but often as an ark, box, or chest. There is a sweet and wonderful book about the discovery of Sophia on this magical island in the .Its title is The Dove in the Stone. Finding the Dove in the Stone is a way of expressing what we do when we see the spiritual Sophia in the material world.

Jonah, Son of the Dove:

Coincidentally, perhaps, Columba is Latin for dove, and Iona is also Hebrew for dove. When Jesus called Peter, 'son of Jonas' it could have meant 'son of the dove.' Columba arrived at this utterly magical place on the Eve of Pentecost, May 12, 563 the day of the ascent of the Holy Spirit in the Christian calendar...symbolized by a dove. Another coincidence.In hebrew the letter I and J are inter-related.

The whale is also depicted as the constellation of Cetus. The water monster. 

The Cult of Columba:

Columba’s monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. At first, access was restricted to high status pilgrims: royal and ecclesiastical visitors, or those in serious trouble, who stayed at its guest house, but later more humble pilgrims would have been allowed access to the monastery.

The pilgrims traveled to in life and in death. Many of the kings of , , and even of the Vikings, were buried there. Some of the most famous Kings of Alba, from Kenneth MacAlpine to MacBeth, made their final journey there - across the sound to , onto the harbour, and up the Street of the Dead to the burial ground, the Relig Oran.

This royal tradition was only broken twice whilst The Western Isles stayed a part of the of - once by mac Aed (buried St Andrews) and again by Malcolm Canmore (buried at ). The last king to be interred on was Malcolm’s brother, Donald Bane, before Malcolm’s son, Edgar, surrendered the island to Magnus, King of Norway, after he subdued the isles to his will in 1098 AD. Recently the tradition was revived, and was again the centre of national mourning when the Labour leader, John Smith, was buried there.

Wealthy pilgrims brought money to the monastery, and in the 8th century some of the finest Dark Age works of art were created to glorify Columba. The Book of Kells, now held in Trinity College Dublin, was crafted on Iona, along with the Celtic high crosses from the 8th and 9th centuries - dedicated to St Martin, St Odhrain, and St Matthew. The crosses are of exquisite Celtic design and were given by wealthy patrons to promote the Cult of Columba.

In 794 AD experienced the first of many Viking raids that eventually forced the monastery into decline. As one historian has commented: rich monasteries like were the Dark Age equivalent of drive-in banks to the Vikings.

In 806 AD, a total of 68 monks were slain by the Vikings at , just south of the Ferry landing. By 825 AD the monastery, thanks to its exposed position, was virtually abandoned. St Blathmac refused to leave, and suffered martyrdom at the hands of Vikings for refusing to divulge the treasures and relics of Columba. In 849 AD Columba’s relics were removed.

The beliefs of the Kells may have been abandoned, but in the 10th century its power was revived after the Vikings converted to Christianity and intermarried with the local Gaelic populace. New building works began, such as St Oran’s Chapel, beside The Road of the Dead; and Margaret, Queen of Alba, made donations to promote the Cult of Columba.

In 1200 AD, Raghnall, son of Somerled, virtual King of the Isles, brought in the Benedictine Order and built the great abbey. He also established St Ronan’s Nunnery, named after one of ’s monks, which accomodated up to 400 Augustinian nuns - the ruins of this building still stand within the village. Raghnall's sister, Bethag, was instated as St Ronan’s first prioress.

The importation of Reformed Monastic Orders, like the Benedictines, to the heart of Columban monasticism wasn’t without controversy. The Bishop of Derry attacked the building works, but Raghnall prevailed and the abbey was completed. The Benedictines revitalized the Columban cult on until the Reformation when the abbey was abandoned and slowly fell into ruin.

For just under 400 years the settlement lay in ruins until, in 1938, the Iona Community, an Ecumenical Christian group, was founded there by the Rev George MacLeod. Committed to finding the relevance of the Gospel, they set about restoring the ruined abbey.

The thinkers of this early period are generally classified in groups as "Ionians" and "Eleatics" (so named from their geographical origin in Ionia and ), "Pythagoreans," "Atomists," and "Sophists." First philosophers.

THE STORY OF ION

IN the temple of Apollo at Delphi there dwelt a fair youth, whose name was Ion. Tall he was and comely, like to the son of a King, but of his birth no man knew anything; for he had been laid, being yet a babe, at the door of the temple, and the priestess had brought him up for her son. So he had served the God from a child, being fed from the altar and from the gifts of the strangers that were wont to resort to the place. Now it was the lad's custom to rise early in the morning and to sweep the temple with boughs of bay, and to sprinkle it with water from the fountain of Castalia. Also he was wont to keep the birds from the temple—for they would come from the woods of hard by, eagles, and swans, and others—lest they should settle on the pinnacles or defile the altar with their prey. And for this end he carried arrows and a bow, slaying the birds if need was, but rather seeking to frighten them away, for he knew that some carried messages from the Gods to mortal men, and warned them of things to come, even as did Apollo that was his master.

Now it befell on a day, when he had done his office in the temple, that there drew near to the doors a company of women. Maidens they were from the , and they had come with Creüsa, who was Queen of the country. And first they marvelled at the graved work that was on the doors and in the porch, for some cunning workmen had wrought thereon Hercules slaying the great dragon of Lerna, and Iolaüs standing with a torch to sear that which he cut with his knife. Also Bellerophon was to be seen on a horse with wings, slaying the Chimæra; and Pallas fighting against the Sons of Earth, with the thunderbolt of her father Zeus and the shield of the Gorgon head. And when they had made an end of seeing these things came the Queen Creüsa herself and had speech with Ion. And she told him that she was the daughter of Erechtheus, King of Athens, and that she was married to Xuthus, a Prince from the . And when Ion would know how it had come to pass that Xuthus, being a stranger and a foreigner, had received her that was a Princess of the land in marriage, she said that the Prince had fought for the men of against the , and had subdued it, and so had won for himself this reward. Also when the youth would know for what end she had come to the oracles of Delphi, she said that she had come because having been long married she was yet childless, and that her husband also was with her, and that he was even then making inquiry about this same matter in the . For there also was an oracle giving answers to men about things to come. Then the Queen asked Ion of his estate, and heard from him that the priestess of Apollo had brought him up, having found him laid at the door of the temple.

After these things came King Xuthus himself, who, after he had greeted the Queen, said that Trophonius would not indeed go before the answer of Apollo, yet promised this, that he should not go to his home childless. So the two went together into the shrine that they might inquire yet further of the matter; and Ion abode without, meditating much on the things which these strangers had said.

But after a while the King came forth in great joy, and when he saw the youth Ion standing without the shrine, he caught him by the hand, and would have thrown his arms about him, but the youth drew back, thinking that the God had smitten him with madness, and even would have drawn his bow against him. Then the King set forth to him the answer that Apollo had given him. For the God had said, "Thou art not childless as thou thinkest, but the father of a fair son. And thy son is he whom first thou shalt meet going forth from my shrine." "And now," said the King, "thou art he whom first I meet coming forth, and I claim thee to be my son." And when Ion would know how this might be, the King said that in days past, before he had married the Princess Creüsa, being young and foolish, he had taken to wife a maiden of low degree in this very city of Delphi, and that if she had borne him a son—for that he knew not, having left her long since—the child would bear such age as Ion. And when Ion heard this he was glad, for he had feared lest haply he should be found to be the son of some slave. Only he said to himself, "O my dear mother, shall I ever see thee? For now do I long more than ever to look upon thee; but haply thou art dead and this may never be."

And the maidens of standing by heard the talk between the two, and said, "It is well for the people that the royal house should prosper. Yet it had pleased us well that our lady the Queen should have hope of offspring, and that the house of Erechtheus should not be left without an heir."

Then said the King to Ion, "My son, it is well both with thee and me, for I have found that which I most desired and thou also. And as to that which thou now sayest about thy mother, haply, if only we have patience, this also shall be as thou wouldst have it. But now I would have thee leave the of and this thy subsistence of alms, and come with me to the great city of , where thou shalt have great wealth, and in due time this sceptre that I hold. But why art thou silent] and castest thine eyes to the ground? Suddenly art thou changed from joy to sorrow, and the heart of thy father misgiveth him."

Then spoke Ion, saying, "My father, the aspect of many things changeth according as a man seeth them, whether it be near or afar off. Right glad was I to find a father in thee; but as to what else thou sayest, hearken to me. Men say that the Athenians are a people that have dwelt in the land from the beginning. Wherefore I shall have among them a double reproach, being both basely born and also a foreigner. And if I come to high place in the state, they that are beneath me shall hate me, seeing that men love not those that are above them. Also those that are of high account among the citizens shall have much jealousy against me, for such men have ever great enmity against their rivals. Think also of thy house, how matters shall stand there. For before, thy wife the Queen shared with thee this reproach of childlessness, but now will she stand alone and bear her sorrow by herself. How then shall she not hate me when she seeth me at thy right hand? And so shalt thou either for love of her go back from what thou hast promised to me, or else, seeking my profit, shalt trouble thine own house. For thou knowest what deadly deeds with the sword and with poison women holding themselves to be wronged have wrought against their husbands. And of a truth, my father, I hold that thy wife, seeing that she groweth old without hope of children, is most miserable among women. And then as to kingship, I count that this is more pleasant to regard from afar than to possess; for how can he be happy who liveth in daily fear of death? And if thou sayest that great store of wealth outweigheth all other things, and that it is pleasant to be rich, I hold otherwise. I would have neither poverty nor riches, but to live quietly and without trouble. For listen, my father, to the good things that I have had in this place—that which all men count dear, even leisure; and such labour as I did, not toilsome, and to be free from all ill company, and to be constant in prayers to the Gods, or in talk with men, ever consorting with new company among such as came to inquire of the god. Surely, my father, this life is better than that which thou promisest to me."

"My son," the King made answer, "learn to take the good which the Gods have provided for thee. First, then, I will bring thee to the feast which I purpose to hold in this place as though thou wert a stranger. And afterwards I will take thee to the city of , yet not declaring at the first thy birth, for I would not vex my wife with my good luck, seeing that she is yet childless. Only in time I will work with her that thou shalt bear rule in the land with her good will. And now call such of thy friends as thou wilt to the feast, for thou must even bid farewell to this city of ."

And Ion made answer, "Let it be so; only if I find not my mother, my life is nothing worth."

And to the maidens the King said, "Take heed that ye keep silence on these matters, or ye shall surely die."

But they were much troubled in heart for their mistress that she should be childless, while the King her husband had found a son. Also they doubted much whether they should not tell the Queen the things which they had heard.

And now there was seen to come near to the shrine an old man who had in days past been servant to King Erechtheus; and when the Queen saw him, she reached her hand to him, and helped him to climb the steps of the temple, for he was very feeble with age. And when he was come to the top, the Queen turned her to the maidens that stood by and inquired of them whether they knew aught of the answer which the God had given to her husband in the matter of his childlessness. But they were loath to make answer, remembering that the King had bidden them to be silent under pain of death; but at the last, for the thing pleased them not, both for pity of their mistress and also for hatred that a stranger should be King in Athens, they said, "O lady, thou must never hold a child in thy arms or nurse a babe at thy breast." And when the old man asked—for the Queen was distraught with grief—whether the King also shared this trouble, they said, "Not so, old man; to him Apollo giveth a son."

"How so?" said he; "is this son yet to be born, or doth he live already?"

"He is a youth full grown. For the God said, 'He whom thou shalt first meet, coming forth from this shrine, is thy son.' And know, lady, that this youth is he who is wont to serve in this shrine, with whom thou talkedst at the first. But more than this I know not; only that thy husband is gone without thy knowledge to hold a great feast, and that the lad sitteth thereat in much honour."

And when the old man heard these things he waxed wroth and said, "Lady, there is treachery in this matter. We are betrayed by thy husband, and of fixed purpose set at naught, that he may drive us out of the house of thy father, King Erechtheus. And this I say not because I hate thy husband, but that I love thee more. Hearken, then, to my words. He came a stranger to the city of Athens, and took thee to wife, and had with thee the inheritance of thy father's kingdom; and when he found thee childless, he was not content to bear this reproach with thee, but wedded secretly some slave woman, and gave the child whom she bare to him to some citizen of Delphi to rear for him. And the child grew up, as thou knowest, a minister in the . And when thy husband knew that he was come to full age he devised this device that thou and he should come to this place, and make inquiry of the god, whether there might be any remedy for thy childlessness. And now thou wilt suffer the foulest wrong, for he will bring this son of a bondwoman to be lord in thy house. Wherefore I give thee this counsel. Devise some device, and be it with the sword or with poison, or with whatever thou wilt, slay thy husband and his son, or they shall surely slay thee. For if thou spare them thou wilt surely die. For if there be two enemies under one roof, it must needs be that the one perish. And now, if thou wilt, I will do this deed for thee, and slay them at the feast which he prepareth; for I have had sustenance in the house of thy father to this day, for which I would fain make this return."

Then the Queen and the old man talked together about the matter. And when he would have had her slay her husband, she refused, saying that she could not do the deed, for that she thought of the time when he was faithful and loving to her. But when he would have her execute vengeance on the youth, she consented. Only she doubted how this might be done. Then the old man cried, "Arm thine attendants with the sword and slay him."

"Aye," said the Queen, "and I would lead them myself; but where shall I slay him?"

"Slay him," said the old man, "in the tent where he feasteth his friends."

"Nay," answered the Queen, "the deed would be too manifest; the hands also of slaves are ever feeble."

Then the old man cried in a rage, "I see thou playest the coward. Take counsel for thyself."

Then said the Queen, "I have a plan in my heart that is both crafty and sure. Listen now, and I will unfold it to thee. Thou knowest how in time past the Giants that were the sons of Earth made war against the Gods in the plain of Phlegra; and that Earth, seeking to help her children, brought forth the Gorgon; and that Pallas, the daughter of Zeus, slew the monster. Know then that Pallas gave to Ericthonius, who was the first King of the land of Attica, being sprung from the earth, two drops of the blood of the Gorgon, whereof the one hath the power to kill whomsoever it shall touch, and the other to heal all manner of diseases. And these she shut in gold to keep them; and Ericthonius gave them to King Erechtheus my father, and he, when he died, gave them to me. And I carry them in a bracelet on my wrist. And thou shalt take the one that worketh death, and with it thou shalt slay this youth."

" 'Tis well thought," the old man made answer; but where shall I do the deed?"

"In ," said the Queen, "when he shall have come to my house."

But the old man said, "That is not well; for thou wilt have the repute of the deed, even if thou slay him not. Slay him rather in this place, where thou shalt be more likely to deceive thy husband, for it must not be that he know it."

When the Queen heard this she said, "Hear, then, what thou must do. Go to the place where my husband maketh a sacrifice and a feast following. And when the guests are even now ready to cease from their feasting and make libations to the Gods, drop his drop of death into the cup of him who would lord it over my house. Of a surety if it pass his throat he shall never come to the city of ."

So the old man went on his errand, and as he went he said to himself, "Old foot of mine, do this thy business as though thou wert young. Thou hast to help the house of thy master against an enemy. Let them that are happy talk of piety; he that would work his adversary woe must take no account of laws."

But meanwhile Xuthus had bidden the youth Ion have a care for the feast, for that he himself had yet sacrifice to make, at which he might haply tarry long time. Wherefore Ion set up a great tent on poles, looking neither wholly to the south nor to the west, but between the two. And the tent he made foursquare, being of a hundred feet each way, for he purposed to call the whole people of to the feast. Then he took curtains from the treasure-house to cover it within, very marvellous to behold; for on them was wrought the Heaven with all the gathering of the stars, and the Sun driving his chariot to the west, and dark-robed Night, with the stars following her, the Pleiades, and Orion with his sword, and the Bear turning about the Pole, and the bright circle of the Moon; and on the other side the Morning chasing the stars. Also there were tapestries from foreign land, ships fighting with ships, and strange shapes, half men half beasts, and the hunting of stags and lions.

But in the midst of the tent great bowls were set for wine; and a herald bade all the men of to the feast. But when they had had enough of eating and drinking, the old man, the servant of the Queen, came forward; and all men laughed to see him how busy he was. For he took the water that should have been mixed with the wine and used it for the washing of hands, and burnt the incense, and took upon himself the ordering of the cups. And after a while he said, "Take away those cups, and bring greater that we may be merry." So they brought great cups of gold and silver. And the old man took one that was more beautiful than the rest, and filled it to the brim and gave it to the youth Ion, as though he would do him great honour; but he dropped into it the deadly drop. Only no man saw the thing that he did. But when they were all about to drink, some one spake an evil word to his neighbor, and Ion heard it, and having full knowledge of augury, held it to be of ill omen, and bade them fill another bowl; and that every one should pour out upon the ground that which was in his cup. And on this there came down a flight of doves, for such dwelt in the without fear, and sipped of the wine that had been poured forth. And all the rest drank and suffered no harm; but that which had settled where the youth Ion had poured out from his cup shook and reeled and screamed aloud, and so died, being sorely rent with the pangs of death. And when the youth saw this he cried, "Who is it that hath plotted my death? Tell me, old man, for thou gavest me the cup." And he leapt over the table and laid hands on him. And at last the old man, being sorely pressed, unfolded the whole matter. Then Ion gathered all the Princes of Delphi together, and told them that the strange woman, the daughter of Erechtheus, had plotted his death by poison. And the sentence of the Princes was that she should be cast down from the rock on which their city was built, because she had sought to slay with poison the minister of the god.

Then one who had seen the whole matter from the beginning to the end, ran with all speed and told it to the Queen; and she, when she heard it, and that the officers of the people were coming to lay hands on her, fled to the altar of Apollo, and sat upon it in the place whereon the sacrifice was laid; for they that flee to the altar are sacred, and it is a sin against the god if any man touch them. But in a short space came Ion with a troop of armed men, breathing out threats and fury against the Queen. And when he saw her he said, "What a viper is this that thou hast brought forth, ! Worse is she than the drop of Gorgon's blood wherewith she would have slain me. Seize her that she may be thrown from the rock. 'Tis well for me that I set not foot in her house in ; for then had she caught me in a net, and I had surely died. But now the altar of Apollo shall not save her."

And he bade the men drag her from the holy place. But even as he spake came in the Pythia, the priestess. And when Ion had greeted her, asking her whether she knew how this woman had sought to slay him, she answered that she knew it, but that he too was fierce above measure, and that he must not defile with blood the house whereto he went in the city of . And when he was loath to listen to her, she said, "Seest thou this that I hold in my hand?" Now what she held was a basket with tufts of wool about it. "This is that in which I found thee, long ago, a new-born babe. And Apollo hath laid it upon me not to say aught of this before, but now to give it into thy hands. Take it, therefore, for the swaddling clothes wherein thou wast wrapped are within, and find out for thyself of what race thou art. And now, farewell; for I love thee as a mother loveth her child."

Then Ion said to himself, "This is a sorrowful thing to see, this basket in which my mother laid me long since, putting me away from her in secret, so that I have grown up as one without a name in this temple. The god hath dealt kindly with me, yet hath my fortune and the fortune of my mother been but ill. And what if I find that I am the son of some bondwoman. It was better to know nought than to know this. But I may not fight against the will of the  god; wherefore I will open it and hear my past whatever it be."

So he opened the basket, and marvelled that it was not wasted with time, and that there was no decay upon that which was within. But when the Queen saw the basket, she knew it, and leapt from where she sat upon the altar, and told him all that was in her heart, that in time past, before she was wedded to King Xuthus, she had borne a son to Apollo, and had laid the babe in this basket, and with him swaddling clothes of things which she had woven with her own hands, and "Thou," she said, "art my son, whom I see after this long time."

And when the young man doubted whether this was so, the Queen told him the pattern of the clothes; that there was one which she had woven being yet a girl, not finished with skill, but like rather to the task of one that learns, and that there was wrought upon it the head of the Gorgon, and that it was fringed about with snakes, like to Pallas's shield, the ægis. Also she said that there were necklaces wrought like to the scales of a snake, and a wreath of olive besides, as befitted the child of a daughter of .

Then Ion knew that the Queen was his mother; yet was he sore perplexed, for the god had given him as a son to King Xuthus, nor did he doubt but that the god ever speaketh that which is true. Then he said that he would himself inquire of Apollo. But as he turned to go, lo! a great brightness in the air, and the shape as of one of the dwellers in heaven. And when he was afraid, and would have fled with the Queen, there came a voice, saying, "Flee not, for I am a friend and not an enemy. I am Pallas, and I come from King Apollo with a message to this youth and to the Queen. To Ion he saith, 'Thou art my son, whom this woman bare to me in time past.' And to the Queen, 'Take this thy son with thee to the city of Athens, and set him on the throne of thy father, for it is meet that he, being of the race of Erechtheus, should sit thereon. And know that he shall become a great nation, and that his children in time to come shall dwell in the islands of the sea, and in the lands that border thereon, and that they shall be called Ionians after his name. Know also that thou shalt bear children to Xuthus—Dorus and Æolus—and that these also shall become fathers of nations." And when the goddess had thus spoken she departed; and the two, Ion and Queen Creüsa, with King Xuthus also, went to their home in great joy and peace.

 

Carl Jung on the anima:

Anima mundi is the soul of the world, a pure ethereal spirit, which was proclaimed by some ancient philosophers to be diffused throughout all nature.

C.F. Jung states in Psychology of Alchemy, that “The Mother is to the son but the sister is his equal. Thus the deposition of the intellect frees the dreamer from domination of the unconsicious and hence from his infantile attitude (ego).  Although the sister is a remnant of the past, she is the carrier of the Anima-Image.  We may therefore assume that transferring of the water of life to the sister really means that the mother has been replaced by the Anima. The secret is that only that which can destroy itself is truly alive.  It is well that these things are difficult to understand and thus enjoy a wholesome concealment, for weak heads are too easily addled by them and thrown into the confusion.  From all these dangers-DOGMA-whether ecclesiatiatical, philosophical, or scientific-offers effective protection, and looked at from a social point of view, excommunication is a necessary and useful consequence.  The water is that the mother, the unconscious, pours into the basin belonging to the anima is an excellent symbol for the living power of the psyche.”

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the mother of  Jesus Christ, the mother of God. The Hebrew form of her name is miryam denoting in the Old Testament only the sister of Moses. The same version renders miryam by Marian, a form analogous to the Syriac and Aramaic word Maryam. In the New Testament the name of the Virgin Mary is always Mariam, excepting in the Vatican Codex and the Codex Bezae followed by a few critics who read Maria in Luke. Possibly the Evangelists kept the archaic form of the name for the Blessed Virgin, so as to distinguish her from the other women who bore the same name. The Vulgate renders the name by Maria, both in the Old Testament and the New;Josephus changes the name to Mariamme.

It is antecedently probable that God should have chosen for Mary a name suitable to her high dignity. What has been said about the form of the name Mary shows that for its meaning we must investigate the meaning of the Hebrew form miryam. Possibly that miryam may be of Egyptian origin. Moses, Aaron, and their sister were born in ; the name Aaron cannot be explained from the Hebrew; the daughter of Pharaoh imposed the name Moses on the child she had saved from the waters of the ; hence it is possible that their sister's name Mary was also of Egyptian origin. This seems to become even probable if we consider the fact that the name Mary was not borne by any woman in the Old Testament excepting the sister of Moses. But the question why was not the name Mary more common in the Old Testament, if it was of Hebrew origin, is answered by another question, why was the name Mary chosen by the parents of Our Blessed Lady and by a number of others mentioned in the New Testament, if the word was Egyptian? Though the meaning of Mary as derived from the Egyptian Mery, Meryt (cherished, beloved), is most suitable for an only daughter, such a derivation is only possible, or at best barely probable.
Most interpreters derive the name Mary from the Hebrew, considering it either as a compound word or as a simple. Miryam as a compound of the noun meri and the pronominal suffix am; meaning "their rebellion". But such an expression is not a suitable name for a young girl. One of the meanings assigned to the name Mary in Martianay's edition of 's works is pikra thalassa, bitter sea. Owing to the corrupt condition in which St. Jerome found the "Onomastica" of Philo and of Origin, which he in a way re-edited, it is hard to say whether the interpretation "bitter sea" is really due to either of these two authorities; at any rate, it is based on the assumption that the name miryam is composed of the Hebrew words mar (bitter) and yam (sea). yam mar; we have at best maryam, not miryam. Those who consider miryam as a compound word usually explain it as consisting of two nouns: mor and yam (myrrh of the sea); mari and yam (mistress of the sea); mar and yam (drop of the sea). But these and all similar derivations of the name Mary are phi logically inadmissible, and of little use to the theologian

Here a word has to be added concerning the explanation stella maris, star of the sea. It is more popular than any other interpretation of the name Mary, and is dated back to . But the great Doctor of the Church knew Hebrew too well to translate the first syllable of the name miryam by star; he renders the word mar by stilla (drop), not stella (star). A manuscript dating from the end of the ninth century reads stilla maris instead of stella maris. The substitution of maris stella for maris stilla is easily explained. Neither an appeal to the Egyptian Minur-juma  nor the suggestion that St. Jerome may have regarded miryam as a contracted form of me'or yam will account for his supposed interpretation stella maris (star of the sea) instead of stilla maris (a drop of the sea).

It was Hiller who first gave a philological explanation of miryam as a simple word. The termination am is according to this writer a mere formative affix intensifying or amplifying the meaning of the noun. But practically miryam had been considered as a simple noun long before Hiller. Philo is said to have explained the word as meaning elpis (hope), deriving the word either from ra'ah (to see, to expect?) or from morash (hope); but as Philo can hardly have seriously believed in such a hazardous derivation, he probably presented Mary the sister of Moses as a mere symbol of hope without maintaining that her very name meant hope. In Rabbinic literature miryam is explained as meaning merum, healed one, fat one, well nourished; mistress  From Mara; strong one, ruling one. From marah, gracious or charming one. From ra'am which word does not have this meaning in the Old Testament. Myrrh from mor, exalted one

In 1906 Zorrell advanced another explanation of the name Mary, based on its derivation from the Egyptian mer or mar, to love, and the Hebrew Divine name Yam or Yahweh.. Thus explained the name denotes "one loving Yahweh" or "one beloved by Yahweh". We have already pointed out the difficulty implied in an Egyptian origin of the name Mary. MariamMaria are the later forms of the Hebrew miryam. Presupposing these principles, the name miryam may be derived either from marah, to be rebellious, or from mara, to be well nourished. Etymology does not decide which of these derivations is to be preferred; but it is hardly probable that the name of a young girl should be connected with the idea of rebellion, while Orientals consider the idea of being well nourished as synonymous with beauty and bodily perfection, so that they would be apt to give their daughters a name derived from mara Mary means therefore The beautiful or The perfect one.

In LatinMary is referred to as Aqua Nostra, Our Water. Mercurius Vivus or Argentum Vivum which is feminine form of mercury or Quicksilver in alchemy. Vinum Ardens which means wine burning, a sacrament a sacrificial offering of wine/blood.  Aqua Vitae, the water of life, Succus lunaire, to surrender to the Moon, Acetum fontis, the fountain of life. The rendering "star of the sea" is without foundation except in a topological sense; Cornelious à Lapide would render "lady, or teacher, or guide of the sea", the sea being this world, of which Christ Himself is the Star. Other derivations of the name are s as Mariamme, at others as Mariame or Mariamne or Marianne.  You will understand later why I put all these forms of the name Mary.

"Among all the women who have ever lived, the mother of Jesus Christ is the most celebrated, the most venerated... Among Roman Catholics, the Madonna is recognized not only as the Mother of God, but also, according to modern Popes, as the Queen of the Universe, Queen of Heaven, Seat of Wisdom, and even the Spouse of the Holy Spirit."

I'm "The Mother of God"
at the foot of the Cross clutching at
Simeon's sword impaled in my breast
where the blood of despair trickles
betwixt my fingers
as the sword pierces next
my heart, my mind, my
soul, my very being there
washes me
in the blood of the
Lamb, again, as at His birth
while the rabble twist and turn the
blade with their jeers and scorn, and
their catcalls taunting Him to
save Himself, let alone the world
til only me, I'm left with just
His striped God-forsaken Body. I
sink to my knees, praying
my prayer no doubt
my doubt that true to
His Word
He will do what He said He would do,
three more days hence; and my wounds
will be no more. Forever.

Vas Spirituale Spiritual Vessel:

The noun “vessel” imperfectly expresses the intended meaning of this advocation.  The Latin “vas” (vessel) is used to translates the Greek term “skeuos” which does not only mean vessel but also instrument or tool.  Thus, the expression “spiritual vessel” should be rendered as “instrument of the Holy Spirit."  Mary is both dwelling place of the Spirit and his “agent” in the Incarnation.  “With and through the Holy Spirit, the Virgin conceives and gives birth to the Son of God”.  The imagery of this advocation highlights this idea. The caption accompanying the symbol of the Spirit refers to the promise of the Annunciation.  The Spirit will overshadow you.  Mary answers the Trinity in the words of 4 Esdr. (4:14), “If I have found grace with you, send your Spirit into me. ”  The picture of Mary expresses both humility (her answer to God) and grandeur (scepter in the form of a lily).  The table covered with various vessels underscores the fact that Mary is the most exquisite of God’s vessels.  She is a “vessel for a noble purpose” (Romans 9:21). 

THE CUP, cheth, the chalice: H